Immigration news update for APAC and EMEA regions
Asia-Pacific
Australia: Change of Labour Market Testing requirements
From December 11, 2023, it is no longer a requirement to advertise on the Government employment service Workforce Australia. This means employers must now conduct two valid advertisements, instead of three.
For most nominations within The Temporary Skill Shortage (TSS) visa (subclass 482) and the Skilled Employer Sponsored Regional (Provisional) visa (subclass 494), the position must have been advertised for at least four weeks within the four month period immediately prior to lodging the nomination application (unless exemption is present) under the following requirements:
• the nominated position has been advertised in Australia for a consecutive period of 28 days within the previous 4 months before lodgement of the nomination.
• the advertisement is in English and must include the following information:
- the title or a description of the position
- the skills or experience required for the position
- the name of the approved sponsor or the name of the recruitment agency being used by the sponsor
- the annual earnings for the position (if the intended annual earnings are lower than AUD96,400) (salary range is acceptable).
- at least 2 advertisements were published in any of the below:
- placement on a prominent or professional recruitment website with national reach that publishes advertisements for positions throughout Australia
- if the sponsor is an accredited sponsor, placement on the business’ website.
- In national print media (that is, newspapers or magazines with national reach that are published at least monthly and marketed throughout Australia) or on national radio with national reach
- Advertisements, including on websites are expected to run for at least 4 weeks
- Applications of expressions of interest for the advertised position must have been accepted for at least 4 weeks.
The advertisement of the position can be placed in the same medium (such as newspaper advertisements, on two separate occasions) or any two different mediums simultaneously, or on two separate occasions. It may be advertised over two or more overlapping periods totaling a minimum of 4 weeks. The advertisement can be undertaken by a third party if authorized to do so by the sponsor (for example, an associated entity or a contracted party, such as a recruitment agency) – there is no requirement that the sponsor place the advertisement. Evidence of a total of 2 advertisements must be provided at the time the nomination is lodged.
This summary was prepared using information from the Australian Government
Disclaimer: The above information is provided for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. If you have any further inquiries regarding the applicability of this information, please contact Roberta Carnaccini (Global Director of Immigration) and Debra Jane Beynon (Regional Manager, APAC).
Europe, Middle East and Africa
Austria: New salary thresholds for work permits in 2024
New salary rules have been issued for obtaining residence permits for third-country nationals in Austria as of January 1, 2024.
For the EU Red-White-Red Card (issued for 24 months, entitles holder to fixed-term settlement and employment by employer specified in application), the monthly salary has been raised from EUR 2,925 gross per Month to EUR 3,030 gross per Month.
As for the Blue Card EU, the monthly salary was raised from EUR 3,257.00 gross per month to EUR 3,418.22 gross per month.
These salaries must be paid out 14 times per year.
In case of a third-country national being accompanied by dependants, their income must be high enough to be able to support them. In general, this is EUR 1,921.46 for a married couple, and an additional EUR 187.93 for each child.
This summary was prepared using the information from the Federal Ministry Republic of Austria
Disclaimer: The above information is provided for general information purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice. If you have any further inquiries regarding the applicability of this information, please contact Roberta Carnaccini (Global Director of Immigration) and Veronika Vitkova (Team Leader, EMEA).
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